Jake Heggie – janellesnotes

Mezzo-soprano Megan Moore with pianist Francesco Barfoed; photo by Gayna Bassin

Mezzo-soprano Megan Moore brought a substantial, varied program to Matinee Musicale on Oct. 12 in Memorial Hall. It was her professional recital debut in the Queen City, although the singer, a native of West Chester and a Lakota West and Miami University grad, sang on Cincinnati Music Hall’s stage at age 14 with the May Festival Youth Chorus under the baton of James Conlon. “I thought I was a rock star,” she said, praising the foundation in the arts that she had received here. Now she enjoys an international career, which includes singing Rosina in “The Barber of Seville” with Seattle Opera and the Metropolitan Opera, and her company and role debut this season as Octavian in “Der Rosenkavalier” at New Orleans Opera.

Her exellent piano collaborator was Danish-born Francesco Barfoed, whom she met when both were at Juilliard. Their program included the second performance of a new song cycle by Jake Heggie, which, she told me later, he tailored to her voice. They gave its world premiere in April at the Morgan Library in New York, presented by the George and Nora London Foundation for Singers.

This was Moore’s first recital since having a baby via C-section seven weeks ago, which was an astonishing feat considering the control needed and the artistry she displayed. A large contingent of friends and family (and baby, too) were on hand, including former high school and college teachers.Read More »

Jake Heggie gives a master class on Wednesday at CCM

This just in: The creative team of a new American opera, “Great Scott,” will make two public appearances this week as they develop and rehearse the opera as part of Opera Fusion: New Works.

Master class: American composer Jake Heggie (“Moby-Dick,” “Dead Man Walking”) will lead a vocal master class, noon to 3 p.m., in Werner Recital Hall, University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music.

Talk Back: Tony Award-winning playwright and librettist Terrence McNally (“Master Class,” “Ragtime”) and Broadway legend Jack O’Brien, who is staging the opera, will host a “Talk Back,” 1:25 to 3:25 p.m. in Dieterle Vocal Arts Center 300 on the CCM Village campus.

Opera Fusion: New Works fosters the development of new opera. It is a joint project of Cincinnati Opera and the CCM opera department, and it’s funded by a grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

A free public reading will take place at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 25 at Memorial Hall in Over-the-Rhine. The hour-long presentation will include excerpts from the opera and a Q&A with composer Heggie.

To reserve a free ticket to the reading, call 513-241-2742.

Megan Moore impresses in recital, including new work by Jake Heggie

“Great Scott” adds public events